The Coincidental Meeting of Two Creatures
by ElenaPrince55
Summary: Remus Lupin never felt like he belonged at Hogwarts. He was a monster. Many a night he would escape to the forbidden forest to get away from it all. But one night that all changes, when he meets someone who has more in common with him than he would ever have hoped. Someone who shows him that one never truly has to be alone.


Remus Lupin was not in the best of moods. In fact, his whole demeanour had changed from the one of kindness that he usually wore into one of unshakable rage.

The fact that he had to deal with this every month did nothing to calm him down. In fact, if he was being honest with himself, he would say that the transformation was getting worse. Not even the knowledge that his best friends would be with him when the full moon rose made it any better.

It was in the days leading up to the full moon that Remus found it impossible to be around anyone. Which was why he would always find himself sitting on the same rock, facing the forbidden forest. Thinking.

He appreciated his friends constant nagging about how he was feeling, he truly did. But it was always too much. Two hours ago James and Sirius would not even allow him to go down to the Great Hall for dinner, proclaiming that he was too pale. To top it all off, he had had to beat it into their thick skulls that he did not have to go to the Infirmary. It was times like these that he appreciated Peter's ever-insistent hunger. Knowing that dinner was starting, he had not stayed, leaving without so much as a backwards glance. Leaving him with the two mischief makers, who had gotten bored in the first five minutes and then began a chocolate frog eating contest.

By the time the two had finally gone to bed Remus was thanking any deity that he could think of.

As soon as his friends had fallen asleep he had gotten up and walked outside, proceeding to sit outside and think about life.

No one ever understood. Not that Remus blamed their education, or his friends worry. But this was something that you had to actually experience.

Besides, everyone inside the castle walls had the chance to do whatever they wanted when they grew up. Being a werewolf, he would be shunned for the rest of his life, barely able to make a living among wizards. After a while they would notice that his disappearances were in a pattern, and would fire him immediately.

He had only one years left of acceptance left before he must face the real world. There was no way around it.

Burying his head in his hands, Remus attempted to find the strength inside of him to get through the next couple of sleepless nights. So caught up in this thoughts that he did not even notice that another figure was approaching.

…..

Olivia Bronze was escaping. It was not that she was being harassed, or that she disliked her roommates. She just felt the uncontrollable need to get away.

Three years ago staying inside the castle was nearly agonising, resulting in her spending time on her own every single day. Luckily, as Olivia aged she was able to learn to control her urges, allowing her to be around people more often and even spend some quality time with her friends.

However, this time the scent had been too much.

Having just finished her shower, Olivia's best friend Chloe was drying her hair. Usually, the girls were still far too self-conscious to walk out of the bathroom wearing only a towel, something that Olivia was thankful for. It saved her from having to smell the delicious scent of warm thick blood pumping under wet skin. However, this time Chloe was in a hurry and had forgotten to take her pyjamas into the bathroom with her, resulting in her walking out dressed only in a towel while water dripped down her form and over her veins.

It had taken all of the control that Olivia had acquired in the past few years not to jump her and drink her dry.

Knowing how dangerous the situation was for the both of them, Olivia had quickly excused herself from the room, using the alibi that she was feeling sick and needed to visit the infirmary. She had then proceeded to run at speeds that no human could ever hope to reach in order to get as far away from people as possible.

She was sick and tired of being a vampire.

It wasn't awful. She wasn't a ghost or a dementor. She would not be forced to walk this earth forever, as she could be killed. It also had its perks. Since she never slept, Olivia would complete her homework during the night, giving her quite a bit of extra time. She didn't hate it.

But she didn't love it either.

She absolutely despised drinking humans. Before she was turned she was a strict vegetarian and human rights activist. She never believed that killing the innocent would ever be benefiting. Even when she was first turned, she fought against her hunger. However, this would often lead to violent killing sprees that caused more fatalities. After a while she learned to accept who she was and that fact that she had to kill in order to save other lives.

But this acceptance did not stop her fear. Often, when she was lying awake at night and letting her thoughts wander, she would subconsciously think of the warm bodies that were lying in her vicinity, defenceless and easy pickings. These thoughts would terrify her, and resulted in ferocious studying in order to distract her.

Her biggest fear was killing those that she held dear. Her family, her friends, her classmates, all dead because she had lost control. Just because they spent more time around her than the average human.

On this particular night, out in the cold clean air, Olivia finally was able to inhale deeply and not fear for the safety of others. She was fully aware that she would have to hunt, but like always, she attempted to prolong the action as long as possible by focusing on her second most favourite thing: nature.

Nature was never in any danger when she was around. It did not judge her. It did not care if she was a vampire. It welcomed her openly, allowing her to wander through the trees or splash through the stream.

Walking forward towards the forbidden forest, Olivia failed to notice that there was another body near, sitting on a rock. For his scent blended with the scent of the wolves in the forest.

In fact, it was Remus who heard her first after she accidentally stepped on a twig that snapped.

…..

Spinning around in a hurry, Remus was surprised to see that someone else had the same idea as he did. Never had he seen another student out after hours, roaming around the forbidden forest.

At first he had no idea of who she was, as Remus was not exactly the social type. But he realised that she was the fifth year Ravenclaw who would often hang out in the secluded corner of the library. While they had never actually spoken to each other, they both shared a love of books and seclusion. Once Remus was certain that he had smelt the scent of foreign blood coming off her skin while walking past, but he quickly dismissed the idea as his senses tended to become flawed around the full moon.

He was the only monster at the school. Of that he was certain.

Olivia was mortified that she had let her guard drop enough to be sensed by a mortal. And not just any man, but one of the infamous marauders. She had seen him around in the library a few times, sitting on the same desk doing his homework or reading a book concerning anything and everything. She admired the man and understood why a friend of Sirius Black and James Potter would require solitude and quiet now and again. However, she always felt instinctively nervous around him, as if he was a threat to her. This had made striking up a conversation rather difficult. Not that she wanted to. She would hate to put yet another person in danger of being killed by the monstrous vampire lurking the halls of the castle.

It was then that she realised that she had not been breathing. He may not have been looking as if he was paying attention, but Olivia had learned the hard way not to take any chances. She decided that the most human thing that she could do was to sit down. She asked the man in front of her, "Can I sit next to you?"

Remus was startled out of his thoughts by the sound of her voice. He instinctively nodded. When she gracefully sat on the log his senses could not help but pick up abnormal qualities about her: her lack of personal scent, her uneven pattern of breathing, the strange scent of blood that seemed to linger on her skin. He had the strangest feeling of danger, sitting next to her, as if she could harm him. As if she was not human.

He shook his head and attempted conversation with her. "Olivia, right?"

Olivia was shocked that he recognised her, especially since she had tried her hardest to be invisible. She blurted out the question without thinking, "How do you know who I am?"

Remus chuckled, genuinely amused. "You used to be this huge activist for animal rights. I will never forget that speech that you gave in the great hall. It almost convinced me that I was a monster." Realising his poor choice of words, Remus frowned. Then he remembered his audience and blushed with embarrassment as he realised that he probably looked like a fool. He attempted to cover his slip up. "What changed?"

Olivia shut her eyes, as if trying to forget the question. There was no way that she could tell this boy the truth of her transformation. And she really hated to lie. After all, she was born a firm believer in equality and freedom for all. The reason that the world is enslaved was born in a sea of lies and greed. She hated to feed the waters, but there was no other option for a freak of nature such as herself. Olivia remembered the alibi that she had used with Chloe. "I was not feeling well. The fresh air always helps."

Remus could relate. "Don't you love the outdoors? The wind that blows through your hair, and the smell of the lake mixed with the scent of leaves?" He took a deep breath, relaxing in the process. He was still in the place he loved most in the world, even if he had company. Yet he had come to accept Olivia's presence. He could tell that she was tense, most likely due to the proximity of the forbidden forest. "You can leave if you don't like the forest, I don't…"

"No!" Olivia answered hastily. Her body disagreed with her, telling her to run as far away as possible. But that just made her curious. If she was eternally dammed, she may as well leave the earth knowing that it wasn't because she was a vampire, but because she was once human. She attempted to cover the outburst. "I…I mean… I have no fear. I have been in there before…" She attempted to think of a reason why, before remembering that he was a Marauder, and therefore a troublemaker."…on a dare. I have learned to appreciate its power, and its freedom, rather than fear it. Let's stay."

Remus did not reply, gazing at the stars while marvelling at their beauty. He was at peace.

…..

They sat together silently for a while, staring at the nature that surrounded them while thinking independently. Olivia had to wonder why Remus did not smell appealing to her. Most humans had blood that smelt sweet. However, Remus' blood smelt like the earth, something that she loved but would never eat. It gave her a sense of security, knowing that she would not harm him.

As she gazed at his face she noticed scars running across his face. That was strange, since normal cuts often healed without scarring. Without realising it, she leaned closer to him, attempting to understand he cause. Olivia did not know why, but they felt animalistic.

Animalistic…

Suddenly she knew what Remus was. She recalled a certain defence against the dark arts lesson in third year where the teacher taught them about lycanthropy. He talked about the effects of the full moon on these creatures, how their scars never heal. Their ferocity. Olivia no longer doubted her instincts. She understood why her instincts were so against the man before him. Because he was infected.

Remus Lupin is a werewolf.

Remus felt a sudden change in Olivia's demeanour. Her guard was up, and she was staring at his face. More specifically the scars… Remus also became guarded as he began to suspect that she had learned his secret. He looked away from her, and began to breath heavily. His hormones were unpredictable this close to the full moon, and it was nearly impossible to reign in his anger. His wolf growled in response. Remus began to stand up, getting ready to run. From her. From his problems. From the truth.

Olivia was having none of it. She found herself feeling sympathy for the creature next to her, and recognised the signs of one fleeing from his problems. She had also spent her entire life running and hiding. She knew how painful it was. And she knew that she could help him. She grabbed his arm and pulled him back down. They were going to have a nice little chat.

Remus marvelled at how strong Olivia was, regardless of her petit frame and small stature. He knew that he would not get out of this by force. So he decided that he would scare her into letting him go instead. "Why do you stay? You know what I am. What I can do to pathetic humans like yourself. Save yourself. Run." He snarled at her, letting the wolf show. "Go."

Neither moved.

Remus, knowing that his attempt had been in vain, sighed. "What do you want from me?" he asked in a defeated voice, as all the fight left him.

Olivia, sensing his submission, decided that now was the best time to get Remus to talk about himself. She decided to keep it simple. "How?"

After sighing, Remus decided to tell her everything. He explained how his father had angered the infamous werewolf Fenrir Greyback, calling him soulless and evil. How Greyback then retaliated by biting Remus shortly before his fifth birthday. How the family had attempted to keep his condition a secret from a world that would always shun him. How there was no cure that stopped him from suffering an excruciating transformation every full moon. How Albus Dumbledore looked past the monster and saw a talented young boy that would excel at Hogwarts. How his friends learned the truth and accepted Remus for who he was, becoming animagi so that they could keep him company when he transformed. But most of all, how much he hated the monster inside, hated the full moon, hated himself.

"Every day I feel so ashamed, which causes me to isolate myself in the library. And every night I come out here to sit by myself and curse the day I was born. My friends are so supportive, but they can never truly understand what it feels like to be the worst thing walking on the earth." Having said his piece, Remus allowed tears to fall from his eyes that held all his self-pity. He turned away from Olivia, who he was sure would now hate him like the rest of wizard kind. He would accept the disgust as that is all that he felt for himself. A monster, a danger, an abomination.

Olivia found herself getting irrationally angry. Part of it was her hunger. But most of it watching this werewolf drown in self-pity. Without realising it, she stood up with impossible speed and growled, which caused Remus to jump in shock. Then she begun to speak, allowing her anger to drive the words out of her mouth. "You really believe that you are the worst creature on earth?" She snorted, before continuing. "At least you only become a monster once a month. I don't have that luxury." Olivia showed her fangs to Remus, whose expression of shock had not yet changed. She heard the smallest gulp from him though, and decided that she made it clear that she was a vampire. She continued. "I have to deal with what I am every waking minute. Do you know how hard it is to be surrounded by warm bodies while not being able to quench my thirst? How bad I feel every time I take a life? Of course you don't! Instead you play human without any consequences, knowing that without the full moon you would never hurt anyone! You get to live a full life, while I am stuck at this age for eternity! So don't you dare tell me that your life is horrible Remus Lupin, don't you dare pity the monster in you. Because you don't have a clue what real sacrifice is."

Remus did not know how to feel. His brain told him to fear the creature sitting next to him. His heart wanted him to become angry that his self-pity and own problems were so quickly dismissed. But his eyes showed him a lonely young girl with sad eyes, who never asked to be a monster. He realised that he was not alone in this school after all.

Unlike humans, these creatures have been forced to see their own demons. The worst parts of themselves. And yet, they survived.

Olivia found herself feeling relieved that she was finally able to reveal everything to someone who at least remotely understood what it felt like to be a danger to the ones they loved. She sensed his unease, and quickly explained, "I feel no yearning for your blood, Remus. The wolf does not appeal to me. So you are in no danger."

Remus relaxed. "Good."

Olivia felt bad about the way she had talked to him before. He had no idea that she was different. She decided to ask, "You know, if you want, I will be here tomorrow. And the next day. And the next day. Cause I don't really sleep. Ever." She turned to Remus with a hopeful glint in her immortal eyes. "If you… if you want someone to talk to… I will be here."

Remus could not express how grateful he felt. "Thanks. I will be there." And then he smiled, because what could potentially have been a vicious battle for territory ended up being just a coincidental meeting between two creatures.

They spent the rest of the night sitting on that log, staring at the stars, totally at peace with the world. For they were not alone anymore. They had each other. And that's all that matters in the end.


End file.
